Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 19, 1993 TAG: 9306190221
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Tradition holds that June 19, 1865, was the day when word of the Emancipation Proclamation reached the last unknowing slaves in Texas, the most isolated Confederate state.
It took two years for that word-of-mouth message to get through. Now, more than a century later, this African-American folk holiday remains obscure.
David Moore only recently learned about Juneteenth, which variously is known also as Emancipation Day and Freedom Day.
So he contacted co-workers at Christiansburg's Corning plant, and they had their own modest celebration Friday.
Nine, including Moore, gathered for lunch at a restaurant to recognize the day and to reflect on the black holes in American history.
"Too often, people don't equate American history with black history," said Moore, who last year was appointed the first black member of the Montgomery County School Board.
"We need more education," added Teresa Calfee. "I have a little boy, and everything he learns about black history is from me telling and explaining it to him or from church."
Others around the table said that they learned of Juneteenth only through a word-to-mouth network, comparable to a modern underground railroad.
"None of us learned about it in school. Nobody talked about it at home," said Moore. "There was nothing about Juneteenth in the newspapers."
Loserah Phillips said some rap songs have more information about black history than school textbooks.
For years, the day has been noted by many small, isolated celebrations such as those of Moore and his co-workers, and a few larger public gatherings in urban areas.
Corning Inc. is staging a three-day Juneteenth event at its headquarters in New York, Moore said.
Locally, however, the day was undistinguished. Roanoke's Harrison Museum of African American Culture had no commemorative events.
Moore and his co-workers said they want that to change. They envision Juneteenth as a national day to celebrate African-American history and culture.
And they acknowledge that reaching this prize will be a struggle in an age when many old issues remain unresolved.
"The war's over," said Moore, "even though sometimes people want to change the outcome.
"People are going to have to understand that being pro-black is not about being anti-white," he said.
by CNB